The Star Online: Entertainment: Music
The Star Online: Entertainment: Music |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:51 PM PDT MUSIC fans can expect an eclectic group of artistes at the upcoming Langkawi Live: One Earth Music Festival on Nov 2 and 3. More than a dozen acts will be featured in this year's outing, including local up-and-coming artistes and a couple of veteran stars who will spice up the festival, which will be held at the Frangipani Resort & Spa at Pantai Tengah, Langkawi Island in Kedah. While Malaysia's foremost jazz pianist and music producer Michael Veerapen, the inimitable sounds of Amir Yussof, and a special appearance from Thailand's Saxman Koh lead the festival highlights, the rest of the performers will also offer some eclectic music on the beaches. There's singer-songwriter Reza Salleh, whose album Realize captures his musical range and adaptability with punchy rock ensembles and acoustic bossanova; it would be difficult to pin down his music to a single genre. Also on the list is Liyana Fizi, who plays acoustic tunes tinged with a mix of folk and bossa. The singer made her debut as one of the founding members of Malaysian indie-pop band Estrella. Currently singing and playing rhythm guitar as a solo artiste, Liyana takes a vast interest in using music as an outlet for expression. Budding singer songwriter Poova comes in just off her Ticket To Faketown KL tour, and a debut festival appearance in Taichung, Taiwan. The Kuala Lumpur-based artiste is on the verge of releasing her debut album and brings to the festival a unique blend of funk, soul and rock. From the island itself is Panji Warisan, who plays traditional Malay music with a youthful exuberance. The Langkawi Love Band, in the meantime, will feature a mixture of musicians who have been coming to the island for years, some of whom have even settled down in Langkawi. In a new move for the festival, the atmosphere will also get a little livelier each evening with DJs like Australia's DJ C-Man hitting the decks and playing music on the beach after 11pm. While the music will remain the main attraction, the underlying message throughout the festival will be about preserving the island's environment by recycling and conservation through adopting the principles of sustainable development. This year's focus is the Rivers Project, a joint effort between LADA and the National Hydraulic Research of Malaysia (NAHRM), which aims to rehabilitate the rivers of Langkawi. The project is spearheaded by Langkawi Live's part owner Anthony Wong, and a documentary featuring their work will be launched at this year's One Earth Music Festival. "We need to convince the local islanders that their survival and prosperity is dependent upon keeping the island clean and that the island's development must be sustainable," said Patrick Chen, one of the festival's co-organisers. To this end, and in addition to the two-day music festival, concurrent activities and programmes will be organised throughout the festival, including eco tours. Langkawi Live is owned, produced and organised by Langkawi Live Sdn Bhd in association with AOS Conventions & Events. For more information and bookings, visit langkawi-live.com or call the hotline (016-661 9002) or e-mail Catherine Xavier at mice@aosconventions.com. |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:48 PM PDT Taiwanese singer Wei Li An hogs the limelight on 988. FEATURED as 988's musician of the month, Taiwanese singer-songwriter Wei Li An, better known by his quirky moniker Weibird, was invited to do an hour-long stint as a guest deejay at the local Chinese radio station and present his version of 988's monthly music newsletter. Malaysian fans may pick up the postcard-cum-sticker souvenir at their nearest Chatime bubble tea outlet. Since Wei's music has been likened to a heart-felt experience that gives one a sense of security, he sketched out on the card the five items he cannot leave home without. "A pair of spectacles for my severe myopia, a cellphone to stay connected, a watch to tell the time, a notebook to jot down ideas, and a backpack because I'm used to carrying one," said Wei, 25, during the 988 Live Bang Weibird Showcase earlier this month. However, best yet is the short film Wei filmed with 988 deejays that will be released on the 988 Facebook page and website today. The project was directed by 988 Good Show deejay Teddy and features half a dozen other 988 deejays. In the five-minute video clip, Wei gets a taste of the Malaysian lifestyle ala Alice In Wonderland and plays a dejected musician who finds his calling in Malaysia. "I had a lot of fun in town recently to promote my second album Someone Is Waiting (You Ren Zai Deng in Mandarin)," said Wei, who has been performing at various shows, including The One concert and the 2012 Ice-Cream For You Charity Concert, where he also sang a duet with fellow Taiwanese singer Claire Kuo. Born in Taichung City, Taiwan, the 2011 Golden Melody Awards' best new artiste has just fulfilled his mandatory military conscription and is currently signed to Linfair Records. Despite his bashful outlook, the casually understated Wei had a lot to say when it came to music-making. Active in the music scene since 2006, Wei talked about his own "ambiguity" in his latest 11-track album. "When I first meet people, I tend to be a bit shy. But after we get to know each other, I do crazy stuff. No matter how long I know a person, they still won't know how I think, because I keep a lot of things to myself. So, that's the ambiguity of my personality," shared the lanky singer-songwriter, who released an EP in 2009 and his first self-titled album the following year. "Music-wise, I don't want people to associate Wei Li An with a certain kind of genre. I like to try different kinds of music. My first album was mostly folk-pop-rock. In this album, I try to include other aspects of my work, such as funk and soul, because I have a thirst for music and I want to try different things and not be confined," continued Wei, who grew up listening to his parents' collection of Chinese pop music, such as music by the late Teresa Teng. As a teenager, he became more influenced by Jay Chou and David Tao. Now, he listens to more Western pop and folk artistes, like John Mayer, and looks forward to a musical collaboration with him one day. The lyrics booklet for Someone Is Waiting was designed to look like a green notebook, which Wei said is similar to the one he uses for his work. Just like what you see in this booklet, I also do a lot of drawing, apart from jotting down notes, except mine looks a lot messier," he mused with a chuckle. Finally, we'd like to know how the name Weibird came about? "To make a long story short, one of my junior high school classmates was named Tsai. There was one smart guy who wanted to come up with an English nickname for him. In the end, we took everybody's last name, and came up with Weibird; there was also Chenbird and Linbird. However, only my nickname has survived. And, I also lost contact with Tsaibird," Wei shared with a forlorn smile. Someone Is Waiting is distributed by Universal Music Malaysia. Tune in to 988.com.my today to watch the 988 X Weibird I Love My Job short movie. For more information about Weibird, visit weibird.com. |
| Posted: 28 Oct 2012 11:45 PM PDT Janet Lee's life changed for the better once she decided to follow her passion for performing. JANET Lee is not an Internet sensation, a mainstream artiste nor part of the local underground music scene. But she does make a living as a singer and stage performer. Lee, from Ipoh, Perak, is part of a group of dedicated performers and songwriters who ply their trade in theatre productions, corporate functions, weddings and private parties as well as at jazz clubs in the Klang Valley. More often than not, it is passion that drives them, usually without the added bonus of fame, glamour and media attention. There is money to be made, however, and Lee has carved a niche for herself as a versatile singer (she sings Chinese oldies, jazz standards and musical numbers, among others). "Corporate functions, weddings and private parties are where the money is," concedes Lee who quit her day job back in 2005 to sing. "When I decided to be a performer full time, I started out working on various stage musicals and theatre productions. I enjoy theatre work; it's extremely satisfying but the pay is low. Which is why actors need to juggle between jobs." Lee is currently on The Shanghai Jazz Songbook Tour where she is backed by a three-piece band – they recently performed at the Hakka Republic fine dining restaurant and wine bar in Kuala Lumpur. This is how she describes the Shanghai Jazz experience: "A sexy and intimate setting of snazzy jazz and some funk arrangements (by my band leader Hin Ee Jeng) of the golden classics of Shidaiqu which we call Shanghai Jazz. We would include a few English songs that are in the same vein of Shanghai Jazz night club music. It's a fun and casual musical experience with excellent musicians and my showcase of vintage qi pao (cheongsam) as my show costumes." Lee has become synonymous with classic Chinese tunes and cheongsams as it has become part of her image which came about in a rather accidental way. It all began with Dama Orchestra's 2006 production of Butterfly Lovers The Musical. "I was part of the chorus for the production and people had recognised me from it. I started getting calls to perform for private functions after that because people couldn't afford to hire the entire Dama Orchestra so a cheaper option was to just hire me instead," said the 35-year-old Lee. However, she had to brush up on her Mandarin pop songs of yesteryear as well as start a collection of vintage cheongsams. "Even though I only started singing Chinese classics for the musicals I did early on, I was already familiar with the songs because I'd listened to my parents' collection of Mandarin pop songs from the 1940s to 1970s. "The (addition of) costumes or cheongsams, though, was actually suggested to me by a good friend who went to a flea market and bought them for me. "Flea markets are a very good option if you want vintage cheongsams. Vintage cheongsams are unique because they aren't factory made so they don't all look alike in terms of stitching and cut. And the cheongsams I wore for this photoshoot, they're all vintage," she said, smiling. Lee seemed like a natural in front of the camera. She had come to the shoot with different outfits and worked the camera effortlessly. She ended up doing three costume changes and there was not a boring picture taken. I was intrigued at how Lee was so dynamic with all the different poses ... until I found out what her last day job was. "I was a booker at a modelling agency. My role was to book models and talents for the agency," she shared. "And I loved it. I got to meet stylists and hairstylists and see what was going on behind the scenes. I learnt a lot from that, and it helped me stay grounded even though the environment can be superficial. But, at the end of the day, it's just a job." Before working in the modelling agency, she was doing sales for a bank and worked as an executive for a while. During this time, she had already been involved in theatre productions as a hobby but by 2005, she had an epiphany which came in the form of a dream. "I kept having dreams every night about my new job and the models were singing and dancing, which I found to be really creepy. "I was also involved in a stage production and juggling my job as a booker and doing theatre was taking its toll on me. I was falling asleep at the wheel driving to theatre rehearsals! I knew I had to keep myself sane; I had to make a choice then," she said. And she did. Lee quit her job and began her new life as a singer and performer. "I left my day job in September 2005 and by 2006 I was busy with two major theatre productions – M! The Opera (by Saidah Rastam) and Butterfly Lovers The Musical. I become even more active the following year." Lee is not as involved with theatre as she was before. She is now enjoying a stream of singing gigs including The Shanghai Jazz Songbook Tour which she will be busy with until the end of the year. "I would only commit to a stage show if it's a project I feel passionately about because it takes up to about three months of my life and I'd be missing out on a lot singing jobs. It's a big commitment doing theatre." Timing was also an important factor for Lee when she decided on a career change especially where the entertainment industry is concerned. "Being young is an important factor. There is always demand for young people. I'm glad I made the decision to switch careers then because it would have been really difficult if I did it now." She also has a piece of advice for those of you who are interested to sing professionally: "Prepare a repertoire and develop your musical personality from there. Make friends with passionate musicians for I have benefited a great deal from them. Get out there and listen and watch lots of live performances and listen to lots of records." Find Janet Lee on Facebook or visit her official site www.janetsing.com for more information and performance dates. This article originally appeared in The Star Editor's Choice app. |
| You are subscribed to email updates from The Star Online: Entertainment: Music To stop receiving these emails, you may unsubscribe now. | Email delivery powered by Google |
| Google Inc., 20 West Kinzie, Chicago IL USA 60610 | |
0 ulasan:
Catat Ulasan